


So, Before You Go

by Kissesdragons



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:22:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kissesdragons/pseuds/Kissesdragons
Summary: When Alex goes missing Forrest has some words for the rest of the gang about the way they've been treating him.
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes, Maria DeLuca/Michael Guerin, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 43
Kudos: 210





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so tired of Alex being treated like shit by everyone. This was an emotional catharsis for me. I am totally disgusted by what they have done with Maria - taking her from a strong independent woman who needs no one to someone who "falls" for the guy her best friend is in love with after one night of drunken sex, constantly tests Michael's loyalty to her, and coerces her so-called best friend into a threesome just to drive home the point that Michael will choose her over Alex. Needless to say this story is not for Maria-lovers. Title from the Lewis Capaldi song - I think it fits Malex pretty well. Not sure yet if I will continue this or not

Michael leans against the bar of the Pony with a sigh, forcing a fake smile as Max and Liz walk in, followed by Isobel and Valenti. He tries to hide a wince as Maria slams a line of shots down on the bar next to him. They’ve been fighting – again – about Maria using her powers, and honestly he’s over it. Things with Maria were supposed to be easy. He was supposed to finally have the chance to prove that he could be good for someone, but all he seems to do is piss her off, even when he’s trying to take care of her. 

She continues to question him constantly about his feelings for Alex. He’s chosen her over and over, and every time it’s felt like he’s stabbing himself in the heart. He’s told her that a part of him will always love Alex, but that things with him are too complicated and it’s over. She still continues to question him and set up tests to make him prove himself. It’s becoming clear she’ll never really trust him, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can live with her jealousy.

“Hey” Max says sliding onto the stool next to him as the others greet each other. “How are you doing?”

Michael just grunts at him and throws back a shot of acetone. Max grabs the glass when he’s done and sniffs it before looking at Michael with those ridiculous puppy dog eyes. “Michael” he says quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “When I told you to stop looking at the past I didn’t mean you needed to leave it behind completely. I meant you should stop letting it determine your future.”

“What are you getting at Max?” Michael asks, too tired to try to figure out the hidden meaning in his words.

“Alex,” Max murmurs. Michael tries not to flinch at his name, but he knows Max caught it. “I was trying to encourage you to leave the past behind you. To stop letting it dictate your interactions and to move forward with him. Why are you with Maria when everyone can see you’re still in love with Alex?”

“Shut up!” Michael hisses, looking around to see if anyone, particularly Maria, is nearby. When it looks like no one is paying attention he grabs Max’s arm and drags him over to a booth on the other side of the bar. “Look, things with Alex are just too complicated. His family destroyed ours! I wanted to get away from that legacy. And Maria is really great. I like her a lot.”

“Alex isn’t anything like his family, and you know that” Max says gently. “And you’re right. Maria is really great. If she makes you happy I’ll stop talking about this right now. But first I think you need to be honest with yourself, if not with me. Do you love her? Can you see yourself building a family with her? Or is Alex the one you see yourself with when you imagine the future?” Max finishes, standing up from the booth and clapping him on the shoulder.

Michael sighs as he slumps back against the booth. Max’s questions are the same ones he’s been asking himself for weeks. Maria is gorgeous and she can be sweet and fun sometimes, but other times he barely recognizes her. The things he thought would be simple are becoming more complicated by the day. And the truth is that while he likes Maria and has a good time with her, he can’t ever see them building a future together because he is still so undeniably in love with Alex, and he can’t imagine a day where that won’t be true.

“C’mon everyone” Liz says, raising her voice and waving for them all to join her at the table. "We’ve only got an hour before the bar opens. We need to talk strategy.”

As they all gather around the table the door to the Pony bursts open and a guy with blue hair comes charging in. “Nazi guy?” Michael asks, surprised.

“Kyle” Nazi guy gasps out, hurrying over to him. “Alex is missing” he says, and the panic in his voice is obvious.

Michael sits up straighter at the mention of Alex’s name, feeling incredibly confused.

“Forrest” Valenti greets him, sounding surprised. How does Valenti know this guy? Michael wonders silently. “What do you mean missing?” Kyle asks.

“He never made it home last night” Nazi guy, who is apparently named Forrest says, gripping a handful of Valenti’s shirt.

“Shit” Valenti says, grabbing Forrest’s arm and tugging him away from the group a bit. Michael stands and follows immediately, ignoring the daggers he can feel Maria glaring at him.

“How do you know he didn’t make it home?” Michael asks, flinching at the dirty look both men turn on him.

“Um – because he didn’t come home last night?” Forrest says, looking at him like he’s stupid. “Kyle, he told me he would be home by 11, but when I woke up he wasn’t there, and now he’s not answering my calls. He was doing some kind of research into some stuff his dad is mixed up in. I’m worried that Jesse’s got him.”

Michael reels back a step back as the implications of Forrest’s words hit him. Alex is sleeping with this guy? More than that, it sounds like Forrest is at the very least in some sort of relationship with Alex. Michael fights for breath as the idea that Alex has moved on and gotten over him hits, hard.

“Hey, hey, we’re going to find him” Valenti soothes, and it hits Michael that Kyle knows about the two of them, which means this isn’t something new. Alex must have have been seeing this guy for a while if Kyle knows about it. “When was the last time you heard from him?” Kyle asks, as the others come over to them to see what’s going on.

“Yesterday” Forrest answers. “He left for work after breakfast and said he was looking into some illegal dealings his asshole of a father is involved in” Forrest answers.

“Exactly who are you?” Isobel asks disdainfully. “And why would Alex tell you any of this?”

“I’m his boyfriend” he says, staring around at all of them. “Forrest Long? Ringing any bells?” when they all just stare at him blankly he lets out a humorless laugh. “Jesus, Alex was right. None of you give a shit about him.”

Michael inhales a shocked breath, feeling like he’s been punched in the gut and ready to protest, but Liz gets there first. “Hey” she says sharply. “Where do you get off? We’re Alex’s friends.”

“Don’t you dare tell me you’re his friends” Forrest hisses. “The only one who even comes close is Valenti.”

“That’s not true” Maria protests. “Alex is one of my best friends.”

“Oh really?” Forrest asks. “When was the last time you saw him or spoke to him, huh? Any of you? And what was it about? Were you asking him to help you again? You clearly didn’t even know I exist and we’ve been dating for 2 months. Did you ask him how he feels about having his brother back in town? How it’s going reconnecting with his mom?” Seeing the looks on their faces he lets out a bitter laugh “Did you even know he was trying to reconnect with his mom?”

“That’s not fair” Maria protests. “How are we supposed to know these things if he doesn’t tell us?” but her words ring hollow in Michael’s chest, and he can see by the looks on the others’ faces that they are feeling the same way. When did they stop talking to Alex? How did they let things get to this point? As Maria continues to try to protest her innocence Michael realizes as his stomach sinks and his eyes start to burn that it’s their fault – his and Maria’s. When they got together the group chose the two of them over Alex and let their relationships with him fall by the wayside.

“Stop. Do any of you know the slightest thing about what’s going on in Alex’s life? Or is he just a convenient tool for you to use up and then discard when its no longer convenient to have him around? Alex Manes is one of the best men I know. I know all about your lives because I give a shit what he has to say, and for some reason he cares about all of you.” 

“You” Forrest says, pointing at Liz. “Do you have any idea how much respect Alex has for you? He says you’re strong, independent, and brilliant. He told me he understands that you’re just too busy to make time for him” Forrest announces and Liz raises a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry as tears start to spill down her face. 

“You two” Forrest says turning to Max and Isobel. “You never really were friends were you? But I know for a fact that Alex respects the hell out of both of you and would’ve loved the opportunity to be friends. But every time he tried you shot him down. Don’t worry” Forrest adds, his voice turning ugly. “He knows it's because you think he’s not good enough for your brother.” Max takes a step back at this accusation and Iz turns her face aside to hide her tears.

“You” Forrest says, voice shaking as he steps toward Michael. “Blaming him for the things his family did. Making him believe that he’s no better than them when nothing could be further from the truth. Stringing him along for weeks on end with false hope, then choosing the easy option” he says with disgust, waving at Maria “And breaking his goddamn heart.” Michael feels the tears starting to drip down his face, but he doesn’t care who sees them anymore. The fact that Alex has been feeling so hurt and so worthless – that they have made him feel this way – is heartbreaking.

“And you” he snaps out, spinning to face Maria. “His so-called best friend who decided she had ‘fallen’ for the man he’s been in love with for 10 years after a single night of drunken sex. Who shoved it in his face over and over, then coerced him into a goddamn threesome he wanted no part of just to really drive home the fact that Michael will always choose you and whatever you want over him.” 

Michael turns away at that, hand flying up to stifle a sob. Coerced? The idea that he was responsible for Alex going through with that night when he didn’t want to might just be enough to break him. When Michael finally gets his emotions under control he turns back to see the rest of them, apart from Maria who is still protesting her innocence, looking completely shell-shocked. 

“So no” Forrest says, voice dropping as he winds down. “None of you get to call him your friend. I’m going to go find him, and you’d all better hope he’s ok when I do. Valenti, you coming?” Forrest asks, turning his back on all of them as he heads out of the bar.

Kyle follows after him, pausing at the door to turn and face them. “He’s not wrong you know” Kyle says with a halfway sympathetic smile and a shrug, before he follows Forrest out of the bar leaving them all standing in horrified silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forrest and Kyle trace Alex's (digital) footsteps and go on a road trip to try to find him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all awesome! I appreciate the feedback. I had an idea about how the show could write themselves out of the colossal hole they've dug for themselves in terms of characterization, so I'm just going to go with it and write out how I think some of the characters might be able to redeem themselves. Also - I while I adore Forrest (so far) I'm a Malex girl at heart, so that's where this story is headed (eventually)

“Okay” Forrest says, as Kyle trails him across the parking lot to his car. “We need to start compiling data, see if we can figure out where Alex might have gone.” As soon as Kyle clicks the buckle into place Forrest floors it. “I don’t really know much” Forrest says, sounding distressed. “Most of what Alex works on is classified. All he told me was that when he was looking through some of his dad’s files he found something that had the potential to be really bad, and he had to look into it.”

Kyle sighs heavily. He has no doubt that this has to do with alien business, but in order to work with Forrest and find Alex he’s going to have to let him know that aliens are real. He pulls out his phone and shoots a text to the group chat.

_Alex was looking into his dad’s files. He told Forrest he found something that had the potential to be really bad, and he had to go check it out. Forrest’s not going to let us look for Alex without him, and he might have information we need. I need to tell him. Not necessarily about the three of you, but just in a general sense  
_

Moments later the texts start coming in:

_If you think he can help I think you should_ from Liz 

_Not unless it’s absolutely necessary_ from Isobel 

_Do it_ from Michael followed immediately by 

_Absolutely not_ from Maria 

Max’s text bubbles show up then disappear a few times before he finally settles on _If you think it’s necessary I trust you_

 _Alright_ Kyle responds. _Majority consensus is yes, so I’m telling him_

Kyle looks at Forrest, lets out a harsh breath and says “We need to go to the cabin. There’s some things I need to tell you, but not until we get there.” 

Forrest gives him a sideways glance, but makes the turn to head out of town towards the cabin. They make the drive in slightly uncomfortable silence, Forrest continually glancing at Kyle. When they finally pull up out front Forrest turns to him and says, “Okay, you really need to tell me what’s going on.”

“I will” Kyle assures him, getting out of the car. “There’s just some pieces of it that will be easier to show you.”

Forrest follows him into the cabin and watches with raised eyebrows as he uncovers the door to the bunker. They head downstairs and Kyle watches as Forrest takes in the setup Alex has in place for tracking his dad’s movements, the computer programs he has running on multiple computers, mining for data. “So, this is going to sound totally insane, but I swear it’s true.” Kyle says, watching Forrest slowly make his way through the room, checking out some of the papers Alex has stuck up on the walls. “Alex’s dad was the head of a secret military project for years. When it got shut down he kept it going illegally. That program was responsible for the location and detainment of alien life on earth.”

When Forrest just stares at him like he’s waiting for the punch line Kyle rubs his hands over his face. “Aliens are real. In 1947 an alien craft made a crash landing in the desert outside of Roswell and the military took the survivors captive and spent the next several decades holding them captive and performing experiments on them under a military operation called Project Sheppard. Alex’s family has been involved since day one, and when he found out he made it his mission to bring the program down. I think that whatever he found probably had something to do with Project Sheppard. And if he’s gone missing then I’m sure Jesse Manes is involved.”

“Okay” Forrest says, sounding weirdly calm. Kyle watches him for a moment. He’s blinking rapidly, but he has a thoughtful look on his face and he hasn’t run screaming yet, so overall this has gone better than Kyle expected it to. “I assume you have some proof of this?” Forrest finally asks, looking around the bunker again.

“Yeah” Kyle says, walking over to the main computer and putting in the password. “These are some of the files from a place called Caulfield where they kept the survivors of the crash” Kyle explains, pulling up the history of one of Caulfield’s captives. Forrest settles into the chair and starts to read the file, his expression tightening with anger as he reads. 

“What the fuck?” Forrest finally says. “This is genocide! Where are these people now?” He asks, turning to Kyle and looking incredibly fierce.

Kyle swallows hard, looking down at the ground and shaking his head. “We tried to get them out” he says quietly, “but they had it rigged to blow and we weren’t able to save any of them.”

“Hey” Forrest says gently, reaching out to grip his shoulder. “You did your best. You can’t blame yourself for the evils that other men perpetrate” he says giving Kyle a gentle smile, his brown eyes warm.

“Thanks” Kyle says, clearing his throat and looking away. “Anyway, if Alex found something that made him take off by himself I would guess that it was while he was looking through all of this. We just need to try to narrow it down enough to track him.” 

“Okay” Forrest agrees around the bunker again. “Where do we start?”

“You said he left yesterday morning, right?” When Forrest nods he says “Okay. Have you noticed him behaving oddly at all this week?”

“He’s been stressed out for at least three days.” Forrest answers, looking thoughtful. “He’s been talking to Greg a lot more than normal too.” 

“So that narrows our search range” Kyle says, humming as he sets up a search on the computer for any files Alex has touched. “We can set our end range to yesterday around 5am, the start maybe 5 days ago?”

“What do you need me to do?” Forrest asks leaning over his shoulder to watch.

“I’m setting up the data to drop to a common folder on the network” Kyle says. “I’ll set you up on a computer if you want to take a look through the files starting 5 days ago, I’ll start from the most recent and we’ll work our way toward the middle. We’re looking for anything indicating recent or ongoing activity. Something that Alex would’ve considered urgent.”

It takes about 2 hours of the two of them looking through files in mostly silent companionship before Kyle comes across it. “Fuck” he says quietly, staring at the computer in horror. “Fucking assholes” he says louder, slamming a fist down on the table as he opens the files detailing another Caulfield-like facility near the Arizona border called Argenti.

Forrest is standing behind him in seconds, reading over his shoulder. “God damnit. Do you really think he would be stupid enough to go after them alone?"

“Absolutely he’s that kind of stupid. He wouldn’t want to risk Mi-” Kyle cuts himself off, glances at Forrest and clears his throat “Anyone being there and unable to help, and having to watch people die again.” 

Forrest shoots him a look that says he didn’t miss Kyle’s slip, but he pulls out his phone and says “It looks like its about a five hour drive to Silver City. Argenti should be about 30 minutes from there. What’s the plan?”

“I think we should go scout the area, maybe ask around town a bit to see if we can figure out where Alex was staying.” Kyle says. “According to the data the facility should be minimally staffed, but after what happened at Caulfield its possible the Master Sargent beefed up security.”

“Should we bring along any of the others?” Forrest asks, and Kyle shakes hi head. Alex would murder him if he brought any of the aliens within 50 miles of another facility like Caulfield.

“No. If Alex didn’t want them there it was for a reason” Kyle answers, but he makes a mental note to send the group chat a text later explaining a bit of what's going on.

They head back into town, stopping only to pack overnight bags before getting on the road. They chat easily for the first few hours before stopping for lunch. Forrest takes over driving, and once they’re back on the road he asks “What exactly happened with you and Alex? He told me you used to be best friends, but that changed Senior year of high school.”

Kyle lets out a bitter laugh. “I became an asshole is what happened. Alex and I were best friends from the time we were in diapers. In high school I fell in love with Liz.” 

“Wait Liz Ortecho?” Forrest asks. When Kyle nods he says “That’s gotta be kinda awkward now with Max and you two being friends.”

Kyle snorts and says “Yeah. We started dating, around the time Alex starting figuring out – or at least admitting - he was gay. He started changing a lot of things about himself and I - well. I didn’t handle it well. I was in love with Liz, but seeing Alex like that - it made me start questioning myself. And realizing that I might’ve had a bit of a crush on him turned me into a homophobic dick.”

“Oh” Forrest says, sounding startled. “So - you’re bi?”

“Yeah. Though I tend to date women more than men. I finally admitted it to myself in college. I’ve been trying to apologize to Alex, make up for my behavior ever since he came back to town.”

“He’s already forgiven you, you know?” Forrest says, sounding completely sincere. 

“No he hasn’t” Kyle disagrees. 

“Yes he has” Forrest insists, glancing at him. “He just isn’t sure he can trust you again, so he’s keeping you at a distance to protect himself. Just keep showing him you care. He’ll let you back in eventually.”

Forrest must be able to sense Kyle’s discomfort, because he changes the subject and asks how Alex and Michael met.

Kyle studies him for a moment, looking for signs of jealousy or possessiveness, but Forrest seems genuinely curious, so Kyle says “Michael was a foster kid. He came to Roswell sometime in middle school and we were all in classes together. I was going through my homophobic dick phase, so I didn’t really witness anything first-hand, but from what I’ve gathered the two of them bonded over the abuse they were suffering at home. Alex used to work at the UFO Museum, and that’s where they had their first kiss.”

“Oh god” Forrest suddenly says with a snort. “Cosmic” he says under his breath, laughing quietly.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kyle asks, confused.

“Guerin is one of them, isn’t he?” Forrest asks.

Kyle stutters for a moment before finally saying “No?” And cringing when it comes out sounding like a question. “What are you talking about?” He asks, trying to deflect.

“Alex told me what he had with Guerin was cosmic love. I thought it was hyperbole, but he was being serious, wasn’t he? Michael is an alien” he says, laughing again.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well” Kyle says after a moment.

“Alex made it clear from the beginning that he was in love with Guerin, but his feelings weren’t returned. When I saw Guerin’s reaction to Alex going missing, I could tell that wasn’t true and that their feelings are mutual” Forrest says easily.

“How are you so calm about this?” Kyle asks, watching as he continues to drive as if he hasn’t just admitted his boyfriend is in love with someone else.

“Not all relationships are meant to last forever” Forrest says. “Some relationships are meant to help you break down your walls so you’ll be ready when the right person comes around. That’s what I am for Alex. I really like him. I think I could fall in love with him given the chance, but I’ve always known that he’s is in love with Guerin. I’m just enjoying things while I can. We’re not” he snorts to himself “written in the stars” he finishes with a chuckle. “That’s him and Michael.”

A moment later they see the sign for Silver City. “Alright,” Kyle says, mind turning back to business. “Do you want to scout the facility before going into town?”

“Sounds good to me” Forrest agrees, and follows his directions towards Argenti. When the facility finally starts to come into view Kyle directs him toward a small hill a little ways off the road they should be able to hide the car behind. 

As they pull around the back Alex’s Jeep and another large SUV come into view and Kyle curses. “He’s already here. He’s either staging a rescue attempt now, or they’ve already caught him. And given he hasn’t been answering his phone I’m afraid it’s the latter.”

“What's our next step?” Forrest asks, gripping the wheel tightly. “And who does the SUV belong to?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isobel follows Michael from the Pony after he and Maria fight about Alex, and she makes a startling discovery while she tries to help him sort out his emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a plot twist 😈. But seriously, this is the only way I can even begin to imagine the character assassination that has taken place since the end of last season making any sort of sense.

Isobel watches Michael carefully after Kyle and Forrest leave the bar. His cheeks are wet with tears and she can see the way his hand trembles as he brings the bottle of acetone to his mouth for a swig. All five of them stand in silence for a moment before Maria says “Where does he get off? Acting like he knows Alex better than us. If Alex were in trouble he would’ve asked one of us for help. Now, we were supposed to be putting together a plan for how I can safely use my powers. Liz, you said you were working on a serum for me?” she asks, turning to the brunette.

They all stare at her in stunned silence for a moment, but it’s Michael who breaks first. “Are you kidding me right now? Did you hear a single word that Forrest just said?” When Maria just rolls her eyes and scoffs Michael says “You’re unbelievable, you know that? I barely recognize you anymore. We’re done.”

That’s finally enough to get a reaction out of Maria, and Isobel watches the by now familiar routine. “Michael, baby I’m sorry” she says, stepping up beside him and stroking a hand over his chest. “You’re right, I was being selfish. I’m just scared Alex is going to take you away from me.”

Michael grabs her arm and pulls her away from the rest of them so they can only hear the low murmur of voices, occasionally raised in anger as they continue their fight.

“What do you think is going on with her?” Max asks looking between Isobel and Liz. Liz just shakes her head, eyes bright with tears.

“I have no idea. I was hoping that if I could help her learn to control her powers it might stabilize her, but if anything she seems to be getting worse” Isobel says, shrugging helplessly. “If she refuses to stop using them I don’t know what else we can do.”

A text from Kyle comes through asking if he can tell Forrest that aliens are real and Isobel sighs, feeling a headache starting. The last thing they need is someone else looped into this mess, but she also knows that if anything happens to Alex her brother will never recover. She lets out a sigh and texts back, reading everyone’s responses in the group chat. She shakes her head when Kyle says he’s going to tell Forrest, but there’s nothing she can do about it.

Michael and Maria’s voices get briefly louder, and Isobel assumes it’s over their differing opinions about letting Forrest in on the alien secret.

“What do we do about Alex?” Liz asks a moment later, voice wavering. 

“Next to Alex no one knows the Project Shepard files better than Kyle” Max says soothingly. “As soon as he finds anything he’ll let us know and we’ll bring Alex home.”

“Not what I meant” Liz says quietly. “How did we let him get so isolated and disconnected from all of us? He’s never done anything to deserve the way we’ve treated him.”

“Once he’s home we’ll fix it” Max assures her. “We’ll talk to him, make sure he knows we all love him.”

“I need some time Maria!” Michael yells, and Isobel spins around to watch, startled, as Michael stalks back across the bar towards them. “I’m leaving” he says, nodding at them before storming out of the bar.

Isobel has been witness to half a dozen of these fights, heard Michal ranting about dozens of others, but this is the first time she’s ever seen her brother actually stand his ground and refuse to give in to Maria’s viewpoint.

They all jump at a sudden crash and turn to find Maria standing over a dozen shattered bottles of liquor. Max rushes over and asks if she’s okay, but she doesn’t appear to have any injuries.

“I’m going to go check on Michael” Isobel says to Liz. “I’ll see you later.”

When Isobel gets to the parking lot of the Pony Michael’s truck is already gone, but she can see a cloud of dust down the road so she gets in her car and follows him. She tries to figure out where he’s headed as he gets further and further from Roswell, but eventually he just parks his truck far out in the desert.

“Why’d you follow me Iz?” Michael asks, his voice sounding rough.

“I’m worried about you” she answers, climbing into the bed of the truck beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

He snorts and says “Nothing to worry about. I’m the same fuck-up I’ve always been, only now I’m hurting other people with my bullshit instead of just myself.”

“Hey” Isobel says sharply, squeezing his shoulder. “You’re not a fuck-up.”

“I am. I fucked up so bad Iz” he says, head dropping back as he blinks rapidly. “I don’t think he’s ever going to forgive me.”

“Alex?” Isobel asks quietly, and Michael nods.

“I feel like I’ve spent the last 6 months in a daze” he says. “I’ve turned into someone I don’t even recognize, and I really don’t like that person at all. And coming from someone who’s never really been a fan of himself that’s how you know it’s bad.” 

Isobel sighs and rests her head on his shoulder. “What do you want Michael? Right here, right now, what would make you happy?”

“That’s easy. Alex. All I’ve ever wanted is to be in a real relationship with him, but I’ve just spent the last 6 months ensuring that’s never going to happen” Michael’s voice cracks and he wipes at the tears on his cheeks.

“Then why did you start dating Maria?” Isobel asks gently.

“God. I don’t even really know. I thought me and Alex were going to give it a real try, you know. He came by the airstream after Caulfield and it seemed like he wanted to make it work for real this time” Michael says, shaking his head. “I was really hoping we could make it work, but then after everything with Max…I’m still not even sure why I went to Maria. I guess I just wanted something easy? She’s really nice, and a lot of fun. Or at least, she used to be. Things were supposed to be easier with her, you know? Alex and I spent ten years tearing each other apart. I just wanted to prove that I could be good to someone for once. Guess that’s not possible” he says bitterly.

“Stop” Isobel says turning to face him. “Don’t say that. What’s going on with Maria is not your fault. You’ve done everything you can to help her.”

“Yeah” he agrees quietly. “But what if I don’t want to anymore?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that” Isobel tells him. “It’s been obvious for a while that things aren’t working with you two. I’m glad you finally stood up for yourself.”

“I just – I lost Alex because I decided to date her, and now he’s moved on. It feels like if I give up on her, then what was the point, you know? I destroyed my chance at real happiness for a mirage” he says with a bitter laugh, voice going rough.

“That’s no reason to stay in a relationship that’s making you miserable” Isobel says. 

“I’m just so tired Iz” Michael says, his face crumbling as he drops his head to her chest and takes a shuddering breath. 

“Hey, hey, take it easy” Isobel says, gently stroking his hair.

“I can’t sleep anymore. Haven’t been able to since Caulfield really” he says, sounding exhausted.

“Can I help?” Isobel asks, shocked when he just nods. Michael has always hated making himself vulnerable, even to her and Max. Things must be really bad if he’s willing to allow her into his head.

She takes a few moments to run her fingers through Michael’s unruly curls, trying to calm them both enough for her to enter his mindscape. She closes her eyes and gasps when the first thing she sees, is Michael staring at his mom through the glass as the timer counts down, knowing she’s going to die and wanting to die with her. God, no wonder he can’t sleep. She doesn’t understand why this memory is still so prominent for him. Trauma never goes away, but with time he should have been able to smooth over the ragged, bleeding edges and he hasn’t. As she carefully blunts the edges of his trauma, the next memory to surface is of Michael cowering before Jesse Manes as he slams a hammer into his hand, over and over. Isobel lets out a cry, tears starting to drip down her face. This memory too is surrounded by torn, bleeding edges. This happened 10 years ago – there’s no way it should still be so vivid in his mind.

As Isobel continues to move through Michael’s mind she encounter’s trauma after trauma, not a single happy memory among them. The day he found out that Alex had stepped on an IED, abusive foster family after abusive foster family. By the time she finally comes upon a happy memory it’s become clear that someone is messing with her brother’s mind.

The first happy memory she finds features a 17 year old Michael in what appears to be the UFO museum, kissing an equally young Alex Manes. But where the memories of trauma had been made ragged and intensified, this happy memory is dulled and muted. Isobel does what she can to make it vibrant again, and moves onto the next. A memory of Michael and Alex’s first time together. Again this memory appears to have been forcefully diminished by someone. She continues working her way through his happy memories, undoing the damage that has been done and moving them to the forefront of his mind, pushing the traumatic memories back.

What must be hours later Isobel comes back to herself with a gasp, feeling completely exhausted. She wasn’t able to undue all of the damage – doesn’t even know where to begin – but she’s hopeful that she may have been able to help bring Michael some peace. She glances down and finds him slumped against her in a deep sleep, tear tracks running down his face, but there’s an ease to him as well that she hasn’t seen in ages.

Isobel sighs and readjusts them so they’re laying in the bed of the truck, pulling the blanket Michael keeps in back up over them.

She grabs her phone and sends a text to Max. 

_We need to have a meeting, just you, me and Michael. Someone’s been messing with his head_

Its late enough she doesn’t expect a response, so she turns off the sound on her phone and settles down to try to get some sleep.

Isobel wakes the next morning to the sun shining in her eyes, Michael still asleep against her, and a dozen messages and missed calls from Max. She sighs and reaches out to wake Michael. She would prefer to let him sleep, but they need to figure out what is going on.

“Michael” she says, gently shaking his shoulder. “C’mon, wake up. We need to get going.”

“Iz?” Michael asks, yawning and looking adorably confused.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Isobel asks as he finally seems to wake up, eyes going wide.

“Fantastic, actually” he says, a slow smile spreading across his face. “God. I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”

Isobel smiles at him, and pulls out her phone to text Max. 

_Sorry, we’re awake now. We’ll head straight to your place_

“C’mon” she says to Michael, climbing out of the back of the truck and stretching. “We’re headed to Max’s.”

“Why what’s going on? Is Alex okay?” he asks, sounding panicked and reaching for his phone.

“No news yet” she says apologetically. “But there are some things we need to talk about, so we’re going to Max’s.” She gets in her car and starts heading back into Roswell, glancing in her rearview to make sure he’s actually following her.

When she gets to Max’s he’s waiting on the porch, and he hurries over to hug her as soon as she steps out of the car. “What’s going on? Is Michael okay?” he asks sounding like he’s on the verge of a panic attack.

“He’s okay. Let’s wait until he gets here for the rest” she says, looking over her shoulder as Michael’s truck pulls up behind them.

“What's going on?” Michael asks as he follows them into Max’s house.

Isobel heads straight for the coffee pot, pouring them each a mug and bringing them to the kitchen table. “Last night when you let me into your mind to try to help you sleep I found some things.”

“What sort of things?” he asks, sounding defensive.

She reaches out to put her hand over his on the table. “Michael, someone has been in your brain messing with your memories.”

He stares at her in shock for a moment. “What do you mean?” he asks quietly.

“Someone went through all your worst memories and made them seem more fresh and painful, and took all your good memories and muted them, made them seem less happy. That’s why you’ve had such a hard time sleeping lately. When you try your brain can do nothing but dwell on the trauma. And probably why you’ve been so unhappy the last several months as well. I did what I could to undo the damage, but I’m not totally sure how to fix everything, so I’m going to have to keep working at it. How are you feeling today? Any better?”

“I am actually” Michael answers feeling a little dazed. “At least I was until you told me this. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like myself for the first time in months.”

“Good” Isobel says, smiling at him. “I’m glad I was able to help. Now, we need to work on your mental shields. Make sure whoever is messing with you can’t get access anymore.”

“I actually think we should all work with each other” Max says. “Try to teach each other how to work with our less dominant powers.”

They spend most of the day together, Isobel doing her best to teach her brothers how to shield their minds. She’s a bit surprised when Michael picks it more quickly than Max. By the afternoon Michael has gotten to where he can keep Isobel out of his mind consistently, while Max is holding at about a 50% success rate.

When Michael’s phone rings around 4 he sends the call through to his voicemail, making a face. 

“Who was that?” Isobel asks, curious who could’ve gotten that response from him.

“Maria” he says with a sigh. “I really don’t want to talk to her. Can I talk to you guys about that actually?” he asks, looking down at the ground.

“Of course,” Max says, walking into the kitchen and get beers from the fridge. “What’s going on?”

Michael takes a swallow of the beer Max hands him and stares at them for a moment before saying “I want to break up with Maria” as quickly as possible, and looking down at the ground as if waiting for a blow.

“Finally,” Max says, and Isobel smiles when Michael looks up at him in shock.

“You’re – not mad?” he asks, sounding surprised.

“Michael, why on earth would we be mad?” Isobel asks gently.

“You don’t think I’m abandoning her when she needs me?” he asks, sounding so vulnerable it kills her.

“Of course not” Max says calmly. “You’ve been doing everything in your power to help her for months. She’s the one who’s chosen to keep trying to use her powers even though it’s hurting her. And if I can be honest?” Max asks, looking at Michael intently. When Michael nods Max sighs and says “I don’t like the way Maria treats you.”

Michael stares at Max in shock for a moment before his phone starts to ring and he sends it to voicemail again. “You…don’t like the way she treats me” Michael repeats after a moment, as if he’s never heard the words put together in that order before.

“I really don’t. She’s not – she’s not good to you Michael. I really don’t like the way she ignores your feelings in favor of hers, and I hate that she treats you like the things you want aren’t important. You deserve someone who is going to treat you like you’re the most important thing in their life. Not someone who treats you like you’re there just to make their life easier.”

Michael continues to stare at them in silence for a moment, before a slow smile blooms across his face. “Thank you” he says, glancing down at his phone and sighing at whatever he sees there. He taps a few buttons and a moment later Isobel hears the message Maria left him playing over the speaker phone.

“Where have you been? Why aren’t you returning my calls? Did you decide to run off after Alex afterall? Michael come on! Pick up the phone!” The message abruptly ends and Isobel watches as he sighs and rubs a hand over his face.

“This is what I’m talking about” Max says quietly, and Michael gives him another smile as Maria’s next voicemail starts to play.

“Baby, I’m sorry. Just call me back. Michael Guerin, you are my person, and I would very much like it if I could be yours” Maria's voice says, and Isobel feels the blood drain from her face and she stumbles backwards into Max, as Noah’s voice saying those exact words to her echo through her mind.

“Noah” she whispers in disbelief as everything that’s been going on with Michael starts to make a sick sort of sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me through this! I actually loved the character of Maria through most of the first season. How they managed to take a badass, take no prisoners woman of color and turn her into the worst stereotype of a woman - stabbing her best friend in the back to get a guy, manipulating people to keep him, constantly needing to be saved instead of saving herself - is completely beyond me. The only thing that I could come up with that made any sort of sense was Noah body-snatching Maria right before he died.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to find out what Alex is up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long - I've been super sick the last week. Still waiting to find out if I have coronavirus or some other nasty bug. This chapter got away from me a little. It turns out Alex's POV is way easier for me to write than anyone else's. But then, he is my favorite.

“Shit, shit, shit” Alex curses under his breath as he sprints down the hallway as fast as he can, checking every room he passes, his bad leg throbbing with every impact. He hasn’t gotten around to getting fitted for a running blade yet, and he’s really regretting that at the moment.

“Greg” he says into the comm, trying not to sound desperate. “Answer me dammit. Where are you?” When his brother fails to answer him yet again he starts trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. It kind of feels like this mission has been cursed from the beginning. It was just supposed to be a quick scouting mission – less than 12 hours to get to the base, do some re-con and make it back to Roswell. Instead he had gotten a flat half way there, dropped his phone and shattered it, rendering it completely useless, and finally made it to a hotel in Silver City after dark. He booked the hotel for the night and got to work.

It took a couple hours, but once Alex got into Argenti’s system he found files indicating that they were in the process of moving everything offsite with the intention of closing down the base the following week. Realizing he had no choice but to launch an assault immediately if he had any hope of seeing those files before they were moved he had emailed his brother asking him to provide backup.

The only positive in this situation is that the base was only scheduled to have 6 guards on duty due to the fact that it was shutting down. Alex has taken out four of them and Greg had taken out the other two while he was still on comms, so why the hell isn’t he responding? 

Alex has the backup of the base’s computer system in his bag. He was taking photos of paper records while Greg was searching the building for anything else that might be useful in bringing down their dad’s operation when he suddenly stopped responding.

“Alex?” he finally hears his brother say over the comms. 

“Thank fuck” Alex responds, stopping his mad dash through the halls to catch his breath. “Where are you? Why’d you stop responding?”

“I was on level 2 there’s something blocking the comms down there. I’m going back down - you need to come see this” Greg responds, and then the comms go silent again.

Alex curses and hurries downstairs to level two, shouting for his brother once he’s stepped out of the stairwell.

“In here” Greg calls back, and Alex follows his voice into a room filled with monitors for security cameras throughout the facility. 

“What did you-“ Alex freezes in place when he sees a room lined with cells, 11 of them containing people. “Fuck” he says. “Not again.” The room starts to blur around him.

“Hey,” Greg says, gripping his shoulder. “I know the files you found said all of the subjects had been terminated or moved, but we’re prepared for this. We brought two cars for precisely this scenario. We knew it was a possibility and we are going to get them out safely.” Greg gives his shoulders a squeeze and Alex meets his earnest gaze. “It’s just gonna be a little crowded in the cars.” 

“Okay” Alex says, taking a deep breath to center himself and nodding. “You’re right. We’ve got this.” He takes a seat at the monitoring station and starts hacking into the base’s files. Greg stands behind him, pointing out possible weaknesses in the system. It takes about 20 minutes for Alex to get in and find the codes to open the doors.

“What are you doing?” Greg asks when he keeps searching. “You found the door codes.”

“I’m trying to figure out what failsafe they’ve added” Alex explains, continuing his search.

“What do you mean?” Greg asks.

“I know how dad thinks” Alex explains. “After Caulfield there’s no way he didn’t add a backup self-destruct. I just need to figure out how we avoid tripping it this time.” It takes another 20 minutes before he finds it. “Gotcha” he mutters under his breath. “Okay. We have the codes to open the doors, but a secondary code has to be entered within 30 seconds of the weight sensor being tripped when the occupant leaves the room or the cell blows, starting a chain reaction and blowing up the others.”

An alert pops up across the top of the screen and Alex curses. “We’ve got another problem. Apparently one of the guards missed a check-in. If they don’t get the right code in 30 minutes they’ll trigger a remote self-destruct.”

They stare at each other for a split second then Alex snaps a picture of the door codes on his phone and they both head out of the room at a run. They run down the hallway, opening every door on the way until they find the one with the cells. “Found it” Alex calls as he hurries through the door. Several of the captives rise from their narrow pallets at his abrupt entrance. 

As Greg comes in behind him Alex raises his voice, hoping everyone will hear him and cooperate. “My name is Alex. This is my brother Greg. We’re here to get you out” he says deliberately leaving their last name out of it so they don’t make the association with his father. He glances around the room at all these people, locked in tiny cells and watching him with wary eyes in hollow faces. “You have to do precisely as we say. The cells are rigged with explosives that we have to deactivate, and we’ve only got a short time to do this.” 

The captives remain eerily silent and he searches their faces desperately for some sign of comprehension. As he turns to one of the men standing at the very front of his cell Alex inhales sharply in shock. He would know those eyes and those curls anywhere. This man is absolutely related to Michael, but he looks so much younger than Nora, there’s no way this could be his dad. Could he be Michael’s brother? Were there more pods hidden after the crash, slowly letting kids out over the years to be captured and tortured by his father? As Alex continues to stare the man inclines his head slightly in acknowledgement.

Alex shakes his head, forcing his brain back to the problem at hand. There will be plenty of time to have a panic attack once they’ve gotten everyone out. “Okay, Greg?” he says, waving his brother toward the cell next to him as he steps forward to face the man with Michael’s eyes. “I’ll read off the first code and we’ll enter it. Once the doors are open we’ll count down from three and you’ll step out of the cell, then I’ll read out the second code and we’ll enter it.” He glances around and finds all the captives standing at their cell doors, watching him intently.

“Once everyone is out we need to move as quickly as possible. Greg – you take point. I’ll cover our six. Everyone ready?” he asks, and looks around to see everyone is nodding. “Okay. First code: Charlie, November, Quebec, Bravo, Delta, Oscar.” Alex holds his breath as the doors slowly roll open. The two men in the cells step up to the threshold and Alex starts the countdown. He holds his breath when he hits one and the men step out of their cells. A sudden beeping echoes through the room, and when nothing blows up he lets out a breath of relief and says “Second code: India, Romeo, Mike, Victor, Golf, Foxtrot.” The beeping stops and a palpable sense of relief fills the room. 

The two men they have just released step into each other’s arms and embrace tightly, a few tears dripping down their cheeks.

“Alright, we’ve got this” Alex says, trying to deflect attention from the men as he and Greg step up to the next set of cells. They complete the process 5 more times, and Alex finally allows himself to smile as he looks around the room and sees all 11 of them embracing each other with something like disbelief on their faces. 

Alex glances at his watch and curses. “We’ve got 20 minutes to get out of here. Let’s move.” As the ragtag group of survivors follow after his brother Alex takes note of the way most of them are helping to support their compatriots. These people are going to need some serious medical attention. For the first time in this whole operation Alex regrets not asking Kyle to come along. He just hopes they will all be okay until he can get them back to Roswell so Kyle and Max can check them all over.

When they finally make it out of the base the aliens all stop, turning their faces toward the setting sun, several of them crying silently. Alex wants to give them a moment to enjoy being outside, to accept the fact that they’re free, but there’s just no time. “We have to keep moving” he says, as gently as he can. “The building is going to self-destruct in 12 minutes.”

They continue their slow dash away from the building, Alex keeping a wary eye on his watch and the distance they’ve put between them and Argenti base. When they’re about 500 yards away with 3 minutes left he finally starts to relax, until Greg pulls his sidearm. “Alex” he says sharply, pointing his gun to their left where two figures are emerging ahead of them, from the direction where they hid the cars.

“Shit” Alex says under his breath. “Everyone, get behind us” he says to their group, stepping up beside his brother and pulling his own gun. They remain where they are, guns raised for several moments until Alex recognizes Kyle coming toward them. “Oh, thank fuck” he says, and Greg glances at him. “Kyle’s a friend. And a doctor.” 

As they get the group of survivors moving again Alex realizes that the man with Kyle is neither Max nor Michael as he expected. “Forrest?” he asks, bewildered by his boyfriend’s presence here.

A second later there is a low rumbling sound and Alex yells “Everybody down!” as the building explodes behind them. After several moments of deep rumbling silence falls around them and everyone slowly rises from a crouch.

Alex steps forward toward Forrest, letting himself be enveloped by his welcoming arms. He lets himself sag a little against him, so incredibly grateful for Forrest’s unwavering support. “Thank God you’re okay” Forrest whispers, pressing a kiss to his temple.

Alex takes a deep breath, inhaling Forrest’s scent of pine and citrus and letting the comfort he always feels in this man’s arms soothe him. “How are you here?” he asks wonderingly, pulling back to stare into warm brown eyes.

“You didn’t come home” Forrest says simply, squeezing him tighter for a moment. “I was worried your dad had done something to you” he explains, tilting his head at Kyle, who is already stepping forward to check over one of the aliens who is sagging against another. “I went to Kyle. He let me in on some of what’s going on.”

Alex takes a sharp breath, wanting to ask more questions, but his brother interrupts.

“We need to get out of here” Greg says, gun still in hand as he looks around them. “It’s not safe.”

“Right” Alex agrees, stepping away from Forrest. “Everyone, we need to keep moving. Kyle, you can check everyone over once we’re safe. And you and me can talk” he says to Forrest quietly.

The group make their way to the vehicles, Alex, Greg, and Forrest each getting into the driver’s seats once they agree to head for Las Cruces and stay overnight. Alex glances over as the passenger door opens and Michael’s – brother? - climbs in beside him, glancing into the back seat and smiling at a man who, now that Alex looks at him, bears a strong resemblance to Max. Two others climb into the back and Alex starts the engine, pulling out onto the road and going as fast as he can without drawing police attention.

“You’re Alex Manes” the man says in voice rusty with disuse. Alex swallows, hard, and nods. “I am Rath. This is Zan, Inari, and Jerel. We can never thank you enough for what you’ve done.” 

Alex glances over at him and tries to smile, but it comes out pained. “It was my dad who took you captive. I can never make up for the pain my family has put yours through.”

“Your father’s actions are not a reflection on you. Or your brother” Rath says, smiling at him. “A man can only be held responsible for his own actions, and yours have proven that you are a good man. So thank you again. Who are the other men that are helping us?” he asks after a moment.

“Um, the man with the brown hair is Dr. Kyle Valenti, a friend of mine. The man with the blue hair is my boyfriend, Forrest” he says, still confused as to their sudden appearance and wondering what exactly Forrest knows. Alex hopes to god this situation doesn’t scare him away. Forrest has been amazing over the last few months. Alex doesn’t think the pain of losing Michael will ever go away, but Forrest is willing to take things at whatever pace Alex is comfortable with, encouraging him to figure out exactly who he is and what he wants without pushing too hard, giving him time to heal. Alex’s confidence in himself has increased significantly since he started dating Forrest and he doesn’t want their relationship to end anytime soon.

They make the drive to Las Cruces mostly in silence. Alex glances at his passengers in the rearview mirror and gets the feeling that everyone in the car is in a state of shock, not that he can blame them. As they reach the outskirts of town Alex explains to them what the plan is, hoping it will give them some sense of control.

“We are going to rent some rooms for the night. Once we’re checked in I’m going to ask Kyle to take a look at everyone. He’s a doctor, but he has experience in treating, um – sorry. I don’t know what to call you?” Alex realizes. 

“Antarians” the man who looks like Max answers. “Our planet was called Antar.”

“Right. Thanks” Alex says with a nod. “Kyle has experience treating Antarians, so he should be able to make sure you are all stable until we can get you back to Roswell. There are a few of us in Roswell who are aware of the crash. We’ll all help you any way we can” he says, confident in speaking for the others in this particular case.

When they get to the hotel Greg volunteers to go in and get the rooms sorted. Alex looks around at the 11 men and women who have been held captive and tortured for years if not decades and starts getting choked up at the way they are all reaching out to touch one another, looking around in awe.

Forrest steps up beside him and Alex allows himself to lean into him, letting Forrest take his weight to relieve some of the pressure off his aching leg. Forrest may be a few inches shorter than him, but Alex has learned over the last few months that he’s strong enough to support Alex, both physically and emotionally. “Hey Babe” Forrest murmurs. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay” Alex says, forcing himself to stay strong. No matter how badly he wants to just let go he has to stay strong a little longer for these people that are his responsibility now. 

Greg comes out of the lobby with the keys and Alex steps away from Forrest with a sigh. “Alright. We’re pairing up, four to a room. Kyle, are you okay looking everyone over tonight?” he asks, and Kyle nods. He ushers everyone into one of the hotel rooms and helps Kyle to set up a makeshift triage. 

“Here” Greg says, coming up beside him and handing him a key. “I got you your own room. Take your boy and go get some rest. I can handle things from here.”

Alex lets out a sigh of relief and takes the key with a heartfelt “Thank you” to his brother. Forrest wraps an arm around his back as they walk to the cars and grab their bags and Alex’s crutches, then head to the room. 

Alex sits on the bed and removes his prosthetic immediately, almost sobbing in relief at finally having it off. Forrest hisses when he gets a look at the red, swollen mess of his stump and grabs Alex’s bag and digs through it, pulling out the liniment and getting a generous handful. Forrest kneels in front of him and gently rubs it into Alex’s aching flesh and this time Alex does let out a sob. It hurts, but having Forrest be so gentle and caring with him is the best feeling in the world.

Navigating the reality of his disability could have been incredibly awkward, but from day one Forrest has treated it as just another part of Alex, treated it like every other part of him, never shying away. When Forrest smiles up at him Alex reaches out to cup his cheek, smiling at the kiss Forrest presses to his palm. “You really are amazing, you know that?” Alex says, stroking his thumb across the stubble there. “I’m sure you’ve got a million questions.”

“A few” Forrest agrees “But let’s get ready for bed first.”

They go through their evening routine, brushing teeth and taking showers, comfortable enough around each other by this point that nothing is awkward anymore. When Forrest finally climbs into bed beside him Alex rolls toward him, burying his head in the crook of his neck and just breathing him in for a moment. Forrest wraps him up tightly, squeezing hard, knowing just what Alex needs to keep him grounded. When Alex finally relaxes, Forrest loosens his grip and they roll onto their sides facing each other.

“You okay?” Forrest asks once again, reaching out to smooth his forehead and trace the line of his jaw.

Alex sighs and lets himself answer truthfully this time. “Not really. I know my dad is a horrible person. Nothing he does should surprise me anymore, but somehow it still does, every time.”

“I know” Forrest says gently. “I wish there was something I could do.”

Alex smiles at him and leans in for a sweet kiss. “I’ll survive. Your turn. How are you doing with all of this?”

Forrest sighs and rubs at his eyes. “Honestly? I’m a bit freaked out, but at the same time this is so freaking cool. I mean – aliens are real?” he says, with a slightly hysterical laugh. “I keep feeling like I’m going to wake up at any moment.”

“I know that feeling.” Alex agrees with a smile, reaching out to stroke a hand down the firm muscles of Forrest’s arm. “What questions do you have for me?”

Forrest hums thoughtfully. “Why did you go in there alone instead of taking backup?” he finally asks, and Alex has to switch gears quickly. He was expecting questions about aliens, not his actions.

“I had Greg with me” he protests, and when Forrest just gives him a look he sighs. “When I found the information about Argenti base it indicated that there were no prisoners still alive so I was just planning to do recon. When I got here and found out they were closing down the base and moving everything offsite I figured we had to move immediately, so I asked Greg to come help me out. They had limited security on site, so I knew we could handle it.”

Forrest just shakes his head at him and reaches up to smooth the hair back from his forehead. “How long have you been involved in all of this?” he asks.

“About 6 months or so” Alex answers, leaning into his touch and sighing contentedly. He’s been taking care of himself since he was 13. It’s so nice to have someone who cares about him and his needs for once. “I’ve got to say, you’re handling this amazingly well.”

“Better than you did?” Forrest asks, and Alex nods. “To be fair I just found out that aliens exist – not that I was in love with one of them.” Alex tenses up and Forrest just squeezes his shoulder, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Hey, I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“Kyle told you” Alex says, irrationally pissed off on Michael’s behalf, and at the same time terrified that this will be what makes Forrest give up on him.

“Of course not” Forrest says. “I figured it out. Cosmic love? Can’t be together because your father was responsible for his mother’s death and he blames you? It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together. And things make a lot more sense now.”

”What things?” Alex asks, trying to hide a yawn.

Forrest snorts, and shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. You need to get some sleep” he says, pulling Alex in closer and holding him tight until he falls asleep.


End file.
